This Grilled Black Bean and Corn Salsa combines the mild flavors of grilled corn, Roma tomatoes and black beans to create the perfect appetizer for a cookout or game day. You are in charge of how much heat you want to add!
When it’s time to entertain, it is so much fun to offer a variety of dishes that aren’t always the typical “chips and salsa.” This is the time you want to take a bit more time to give your friends a layered charred flavor that is mild and yet addicting. The sweet corn mixed with the black beans give the salsa a more mild base than expected. Bringing in your own choice of peppers will determine where on the heat scale you want to go.
🌽 Ingredients
Sweet White Corn – Ears of corn can be found at grocery stores and farmers markets for a good part of the summer. When you are buying the corn, make sure to pull back the husks a little bit to make sure the corn is good.
Jalapeño – We tend to pick a traditional jalapeño pepper rather than the hotter Serrano peppers. These are the thick skinned ones that are about three inches long and are added to so many dishes. If you pick up the red variety, it will be a bit milder.
Roma Tomatoes – Romas are great in salsas as they are firm and have less pulp inside of them. Unless I am making a traditional blender style salsa that uses a can of San Marino tomatoes, I stick to the classic roma.
Red Onion – Red onions are mild onions and are great to use with salsas. You can alternatively use a sweet onion. If you use a regular cooking onion, it will compete with the jalapeno and not have that mild/spicy complexity you are looking for in each bite of your salsa.
🔥 Grilling Instructions
Grilling Corn:
Step One: Heat up the grill to 400 degrees on direct heat. Place ears of corn on the grill for 10 minutes to char the outside. Turn them over and grill for 4-7 more minutes. You are looking for a charred, crispy outside husk.
Step Two: Pull back the husks of corn along with any strings and grill for 3-5 minutes to get the nice char on the kernels. Remove from the grill and allow to cool.
Step Three: Cut the corn off of the ears and place into a bowl.
Grilling Tomatoes, Pepper, Red Onion and Jalapeños:
Step One: After the corn is done, cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the juices and seeds using a kitchen spoon. Spray olive oil on and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut the peppers and red onions in half, spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spray the jalapeño with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper as well. Grill them at 400 degrees for about ten minutes and turn half way through. Allow it to cool before cutting up.
Step Two: Cut up the tomatoes, pepper, red onion and jalapeños once they cool and add to the bowl with the corn.
🍽️ Serving Instructions
Step One: Combine the corn, tomatoes, pepper, red onion, black beans, lime juice, garlic and cilantro.
Step Two: Add avocado, as desired. Toss to combine and serve with chips.
PRO TIP: You can use frozen ears of corn in the spring and fall. Defrost and grill for 10-14 minutes. The corn will be charred as they are exposed to the heat for the entire time. Alternatively, cook the corn for less time if you like the added crunch!
📌 Substitutions
You can do a lot with this recipe to mix it up and change it out.
Peppers – Change out the peppers to give the salsa more or less heat. Remember that if you add the seeds, that is really going to add to the temperature of the salsa.
Red/Green/Yellow Peppers – Add more peppers or remove them altogether. For this recipe we chose one purplish one we picked up from the farmers market.
Beans – Add in different beans like a tri color or garbanzo beans. Optionally, leave the beans out. I liked having the extra protein in the dish.
Related Recipes
Smoked Salmon Dip – Hands down, this is one of our family’s favorites. We do tend to make extra smoked salmon just to make this dip. Our son has been known to not share very well when this one comes off the grill. 😇
Smoked Trout Dip – Don’t say you don’t like smoked trout until you try this dip. This one will blow you away with how delicious and creamy it is. Take this one to parties or serve out on the deck when friends stop by. Again, store some extra smoked trout in the freezer so you can take it out and whip this up with little to no notice.
Beer and Smoked Cheese Dip – Don’t click on this if you are looking to save calories! This is packed full of endless bites of deliciousness!
Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa
Ingredients
Corn Husks
- 3 ears Corn keep the husks on
- Spray Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 3 Roma Tomatoes chopped after grilling
- 1 Pepper we used a purple one but red, yellow or green will work, chopped after grilling
- 1 can Black Beans strained
- 1 Jalapeño chopped after grilling
- 1/2 Red Onion chopped after grilling
- 1/4 cup Cilantro chopped
- 2 Limes juiced
Instructions
Grill the Corn
- Heat the grill to 400 degrees over direct heat. Grill the corn with the husks still on for about 10-12 minutes or until charred. Allow to cool and slide back the husks.
- Grill the corn for an additional 5 minutes over the grill grate to char the corn kernels.
- Once cooled, cut the corn off of each ear and put in a bowl.
Grill the Other Vegetables
- Cut the Roma tomatoes in half and remove the seeds. Cut the pepper in half and remove the seeds. Cut the onion in half (you will only be using 1/2 of the onion though) and spray everything with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place everything including the jalapeño on the grill to char and/or blister for about 10 minutes.
- Turn the vegetables over half way through (at about 5 mintues)
Prepare the Black Bean and Corn Salsa
- Combine the black beans, chopped up tomatoes, corn, garlic, cilantro and jalapeno into a bowl and combine. Stir in the juice of two limes and combine.
- Serve immediately with chips or you can store in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Notes
Nutrition
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